Wood molding, shaping, or uniting apparatus



March 22, 1938. wE l 2,111,688

WOOD MOLDING, SHAPING, OR UNITING APPARATUS Orig inal Filed April 9,1955 2 Shgets-Sheet l March 22, 1938. G. D. WEIR v 2,111,688

v WOOD MOLDING, SHAPING, 0R UNITING APPARATUS Original Filed April 9,1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 22, 1938 woo'n MOLDING, SHAPING, onUNITING Q APPARATUS George David Weir, Caulfield, Australia Originalapplication April 9, 1935, Serial No.

15,469. Divided and this application March 30, 1936, Serial No. 71,814.In Australia April 3 Claims. (Cl. 144-281) This invention has referenceto improved apparatus for shaping, molding or uniting door sections,wooden veneer boards or the like, and has been devised to provideapparatus that will 5 effectively mold, shape or unite door sections orveneer board in an expeditious and emcient manner, the followingspecification being a division of application Serial No. 15,469, filedApril 9, 1935.

The object of this invention is to provide apparatus for the pressing ormolding of door sections, wooden molding veneer boards or the like, themembers to be joined or united being placed together in an assembledcondition on a perforated plate or table with adhesive or cementingsubstance applied to said door sections or veneer boards; vacuum is thenapplied to the perforated table which draws the resilient molding baginto engagement with the assembled sections, whereby said memberconforms to shape of the said sections and exerts a uniform pressure onthe entire surface thereof to effect the uniting of the glued orcemented sections in the desired shape.

If desired movable pressure members may be included in the apparatus toprovide an additional mechanical pressure on the top and ends of thewooden sections during the molding operation of the resilient moldingmember.

In order that the invention may be more readily 30 understood, referencewill be made to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus showing the frame 51 andcover 6| in partially raised positions.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus partly in section andshowing the frame 51 and cover SI completely raised. v

Figure 2a is a partial transverse sectional view through .the apparatusshowing the mounting of 40 the frame 51 and the cover 6| on the table.

Figure 3 is a section taken on line 33 on Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the base plate upon which the moldingof the veneer or like boards is effected.

Figure 5 is a detail of the hinged top and heater.

Figures 6 and '7 are views of essential details.

5 According to this invention a perforated table 50 is disposed at aconvenient working height for an operator and is provided on theunderside with a casing 5| to form a vacuum chamber 5|, perforations 52in the table 50 extending directly 5 into said chamber which has a valvecontrol pipe compartment 5 l.

53 leading to a source of suction, such as a pump or a cylinderconnected to a pump 1 l.

The perforated table 50 has'disposed thereon a ribbed or grooved baseplate 54 upon which the article or wooden sections or veneer boards 5are disposed. This ribbed or grooved base plate 54 is positionedcentrally on the perforated table 50 and is of such dimensions as toprovide a peripheral clearance between the edges of the said plate andtable.

The ribs or grooves 55 on the base plate 54 are transversely andlongitudinally arranged and extend to communicate with spaced grooves 55on the edges of said base plate. The grooves 55 and 5Bform air groovesor paths for admitting suction over the entire surface thereof, wherebyair is withdrawn from all parts of the upper surface of the base plate54 through the perforations 52 in the table 50 into the main vacuum Aframe 51 is hinged at 51 to the upper surface of the table 50 to supporta resilient molding and pressure creating member 58. The underside ofthe perforated table 50 has formed thereon a plurality of vacuum storagecontainers 5!! each of which has a valve controlled pipe communicatingwith the main vacuum chamber 60.

The rear side of the perforated table 50 has fitted thereto a cover ortop 6| hinged .at 6| adapted, when lowered, to seat on said table, whilemounted on the underside of the hinged top or cover BI is a heater 62such as-an electrical resistance element.

' When the apparatus is to be utilized for the molding of woodensections, such as for doors 3 or like fittings, I provide a crosshead 63having a pressure element 64 carried thereon to be lowered under theaction of vacuum impelled pistons 65 carried in cylinders 66 mounted oneach end of the perforated table 50, the cylinders 58' being connectedwith the vacuum source by valved pipes 56 To apply a mechanical pressureto the abutting ends of wooden sectionswhen molded together, two spacedcramps 61 are provided at each side of the perforated table to moveinwardly towards each other to impart pressure on to the sides orabutting ends of the wooden sections which it is desired to moldtogether. The cramps-6'! are transversely disposed as illustrated andcarried on arms 68 which connect the pistons 69 mounted in horizontalcylinders 10 disposed below the perforated table 50 whereby as vacuum isadmitted through the valved pipes 10" to the inner ends of the cylinders10 at the rear of the pistons 69 press 64.

The operation of the apparatus illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 is asfollows:

The wooden sections, veneer boards or the like are disposed on theribbed or grooved base plate 54 with the glue or adhesive appliedthereto, the resilient molding member 58 is moved to .the operativeposition about its hinges whereby said member or bag completely coversthe wooden sections or boards.

The storage compartments 59, having been previously evacuated, arebrought into communication with the main vacuum chamber 5| which causesthe resilient molding member to immediately close over and conform tothe exact shape of the wooden sections or veneer boards.

The pump H is then set in operation to impart vacuum continuously to themain chamber 5| whereby all air is withdrawn from around the woodensections or boards and between the resilient bag or molding member 58which is being achieved by means of the perforations 52 in the table andthe grooves or channels and 56 in the base plate 54 on which the boardsor sections are disposed. The continued action of the pump causes theresilient molding member 58 to forcibly engage with and exert pressureon to the entire surface and ends of the boards or wooden sectionswhereby the same having been glued or cemented are positively attachedto each other. The action of the resilient molding member 58 is clearlyillustrated in Figure 6 wherein two wooden sections are depicted asbeing molded and united by the pressure of the molding member 58 which,it will be noted, conforms to the shape of the wooden sections to effectthe operation specified.

During this operation the cover BI is closed and the resistance heatingelement 62 therein maintains the Wooden boards or sections in a heatedcondition whereby the glue or cement material is maintained in aworkable condition. The resilient bag or molding member 58 in conformingto the shape and outline of the veneer boards thereby imparts an intenseinward pressure which, after predetermined treatment, unites the woodensections together or produces a board having a plurality of plies to theveneer desired.

In breaking the vacuum in the main chamber 5| the resilient moldingmember 58 may be instantly released and folded back after the removal ofthe hinged top or cover 5! to facilitate removal of the molded woodensections or boards. When using the mechanical press 64 and the sidecramps 61 the hinged top or cover 8i would be dispensed with and as theresilient molding member 58 conforms to the shape of the wooden sectionsbeing molded the mechanical press and end cramps could be brought intooperation to impinge on the surface of the rubber and thereby increasethe pressure to be exerted on the wooden sections being molded together.

In molding one board to the shape of another board the resilient moldingmember 58 will exert suflicient pressure on a substantially straight orrectangular wooden section to make it conform to the peculiar or desiredshape of the other wooden section to producea unitary wooden section orboard as illustrated in Figure 7.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for shaping, molding or uniting door sections or veneerboards comprising a casing having a vacuum chamber therein, a perforatedtable, a resilient pressure creating and molding member adjustablymounted on said table to close under vacuum and forcibly engage withwooden sections or veneer boards positioned on said table, means forimparting mechanical pressure on to the top of said wooden sections orveneer boards and means for imparting mechanical pressure to the sidesor abutting ends of said wooden sections or veneer boards to effect themolding or shaping thereof.

2. Apparatus for shaping, molding or uniting door sections or veneerboards comprising a casing having a vacuum chamber therein, valvecontrolled pipes leading from said chamber to a source of suction, aperforated table formed on said casing, a ribbed or grooved base plateon said table to receivewooden sections or veneer boards in a conditionto be molded or united, a resilient pressure creating molding memberdisposed on said table adapted under vacuum to conform to and forciblyengage with the wooden sections or veneer boards, a vacuum operated'press adapted to descend on to the top of said molding member to impartmechanical pressure to said Wooden sections or veneer boards, and spacedcoacting cramps mounted on each side of the perforated table to movethereacross under the action of vacuum to impart pressure to the sidesor abutting ends of the wooden sections or veneer boards.

3. Apparatus for shaping, molding or uniting door sections or veneerboards comprising a vacuum chamber having a perforated table, a ribbedor grooved base plate disposed on said table to receive wooden sectionsor veneer boards, spaced l compartments formed below the perforatedtable around the vacuum compartment and having a valve controlledconnection with a source of suction, a resilient pressure-creating andmolding element hinged to the top of said table, and valve controlledcommunication between said compartments and the vacuum chamber towithdraw air from under said resilient molding member to cause sameto'conform to the shape of, and forcibly engage with the wooden sectionsor veneer boards, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

GEORGE DAVID WEIR.

